#-.-#
Red watched the dawn gradually illuminate his room, a soft grey defining what had remained hidden in darkness. He had started the night in terror, refusing dinner, claiming he didn't feel well. Rather than being a casual lie, it was a gross understatement. He had felt physically ill, and still did, somewhat. And, like they had for the past twelve hours or so, his red-tufted ears perked as he heard a car approach his house. 
	This time it would stop. He would hear two doors open, then shut. Booted footsteps would approach his house. The doorbell would ring. One of his parents would answer the door, many footsteps on the stairs, a knock at his bedroom door...
	The nightmare had played itself out in his head many ways after that. In some of them, Beth and her mother were here, to accuse him in person. Accuse and convict. Sexual misconduct. Abuse? Assault? Red's knowledge of the law came only from watching police dramas on television. Bad enough to expose himself in front of Beth, who was only 12, but he had actually got some of his semen on her. He had licked most of it off, he thought, but he had no doubt that there was enough to convict him. He could not survive prison (or the idea of prison that those television programs conveyed). He considered methods of suicide, should the need arise. 
	This car did stop, with a whining squeak of its brakes. And then again, closer, and then again, in front of his house. Searching for him? 
	*Thunk* came a sound from the front door.
	Red sat up suddenly, heart racing. He poked his muzzle between his curtains, peering outside. He blinked in the fuzzy grey light that made his neighborhood appear mostly colorless. He saw the car in the street in front of his lawn. It was already moving on, and it was not a police cruiser. At the next house down, it stopped again and something was tossed out the window. 
	The paper. Red let out the breath he had been holding and collapsed back into his nest of bedcovers. He couldn't go on like this! And the morning meant going to school. And Beth... Beth would be in the car with him. Right there in the back seat! No, he couldn't do it. Couldn't face her. He'd have to tell his parents he was sick. He had laid the groundwork last night of course, by uncharacteristically refusing dinner. They would believe him. 
	He began to calm down, even though he knew he could not stay away from school, away from Beth, forever. Either someone would come looking for him or he would have to face her on his own. Red tried to figure out how a 12-year-old girl could have got the better of him like this. She meant for him to look up her shorts! She lured him into her room! But... no one would care about these excuses, even if by some miracle they believed him. He was 16, he should have known better. He had let his penis make the decisions at the wrong moments. 
	Red rubbed his eyes and decided it was time to stop pretending to sleep. He had managed a few stretches of actual unconsciousness during the night, but not enough to feel rested. And he felt fatigued from the constant state of fear and dread. Maybe he was coming down with something. 
	He rolled out of his bed and headed for the bathroom. He sat down to urinate, not wanting to even look at his usual morning erection. Instead of returning to bed, he sat down in front of his computer and woke it from hibernation. Checking his email, he set about deleting the garbage that got through his filter. A couple of real messages from his friends at school asked him what was up- why hadn't he been in game much lately?
	He considered what to tell them. Harry might understand... wait, hadn't Harry arranged for his sister to meet them for lunch today? He had really wanted to talk to her about Megan. 
	Red gnawed on his claws. Megan. He hadn't thought of her since... since before yesterday happened. It felt like longer. What would *she* think of what he had done? Now he had more to ask Harry's sister about. While he was trying to decide whether or not it was worth enduring the ride to school, trapped in the back seat with Beth, another email arrived. The sender line read "Megan Goodwin".
	Red's mouth went dry, and he felt a fluttering in his empty stomach. He glanced at his messenger application but it had not shown Megan log in there. She must not have had hers running at all. Or was set invisible. He hurriedly clicked the email open.

Hi Red. I'm sorry I haven't answered your messages. I feel really bad about that. I need to talk to you for real. Not on the computer. I'll be in 210 after last period.

Megan

	Red scanned the words several times, as if there was a code to be deciphered. And perhaps there was, but he didn't have the key. But he knew now that he was going to school, no matter what. 

#-.-#
	As it turned out, Beth was the one to claim to be sick and miss school. Her brother Jason was the only one to come out of their house when Red and his father pulled into their driveway. 
	"Beth says she's not feeling well," is all Jason said. He didn't look at Red. Didn't look at all different than any other day, really. Red's father nodded and backed out of the driveway without questioning. Red peered out his window at the house, and thought he could see someone in an upstairs window, watching them leave. He took a deep breath and sighed. He was spared the ordeal! And Megan wanted to talk to him! And he might even get some useful advice during lunch! Today, at least, was looking damned spiffy. Best not to think about tomorrow.
	On the other hand, Red hadn't actually done any of his homework the night before. He hadn't even done that history text reading assignment he had started before... before everything went crazy. He pulled the text out of his bag and resolved to at least do that on the way to school. He tuned out the news radio his father always had on and tried to concentrate on the Age of Enlightenment. 
	He had finished most of the chapter assignment by the time they pulled into the semi-circular drive in front of Helmsworth Hall. Red stuffed the book back into his backpack and got out of the back seat. He mumbled a reply to his father's far too cheerful "Have a great day at school!" and shut the car door, heading up the granite steps to the double doors of the hall. 
	Before he reached the top, Jason's voice sounded from behind him, gruff and unexpected, "Hey, Red."
	Red stopped in mid-step, his tail flicking nervously without his conscious control. He gripped the strap of his backpack tightly and turned his head. Jason was several feet away, at the bottom of the steps, giving Red a rare view of him from a higher vantage, though not by much. Jason was only a year older than Red, but he towered over the sophomore squirrel, and was athletic where Red was anything but. Jason's pointed jackal ears were both swiveled forward as he studied Red.
	Red's eyes widened. He looked around nervously. There were other students about, some passing him into the building. Jason wouldn't do anything out here, would he? He started to ask, "W-Wh..."
	Jason didn't bother to wait to hear what Red had to ask. He just motioned with his head. "C'mere," he said and then turned and walked off to the side, heading for a bench. He sat down and unzipped his backpack, rummaging around inside.
	Red stayed at the top of the stairs for a moment, unable to move. Should he bolt? He could probably hide from the jackal all day long if he had to. But no matter what he did, Jason's mom was his ride home. He turned and headed back down the stairs, against the flow of other students. He joined Jason on the bench, though with a fairly healthy distance between them. Jason didn't look at him. Red wasn't an expert at canine body language, but he didn't look angry. Jason's ears were still up, and not turned back, and he wasn't snarling. He kept aimlessly rooting through the papers in his backpack, as if to conceal the meeting somehow. Red didn't know what to say. Jason did.
	"You going out with my sister, Red?"
	Red blinked, "What? No! She doesn't... I mean, she thinks I'm kind of a dork, you know?"
	Jason said evenly, "My bedroom shares a wall with hers."
	"Oh... Look, I..."
	Jason interrupted him. "So if you're not going out with her, what was going on yesterday? You just like fooling around with seventh grade girls?"
	"N-no, I... it wasn't my fault! I mean, if you heard what she said to me..."
	"I can't hear that well through the wall. But I heard enough. And this morning, she won't come out. Says she's sick."
	Red had nothing to say to that, so he waited. 
	Jason asked, his voice rising, "So what did you do to her? Did you fuck her?"
	Red shook his head. "No! She... she forced me to... to..."
	"To what?" Jason finally turned his head to look at the shaking squirrel.
	"Sh-she ch-ch-ch came out to the- the den where I was reading and... and she asked me to come see her p-pet lizard. So I did. And sh-she put it on her leg and it started crawling up... into her shorts. Then she said she'd tell everyone I was looking up her shorts. I tried to go, but she said she'd scream and say I was trying to touch her! She m-made me show her m-m-my... chch-ch-ch..." Red began to fall apart, his throat threatening to hitch. He choked back the sob that threatened to end what little control he had left, and fitfully performed the rodent face-washing ritual with both paws. 
	Jason made a grunting sound and looked away in disgust. "Still doesn't explain the howling. What happened next?"
	Red took a deep breath. Then let it out, trying to tell the rest in rapid-fire, just wanting the interrogation to be over. "I wanted to go but she wanted to see me j-jerk off so I did and she rubbed herself and I-I accidentally got some on her and she got mad and made me lick it off and she really liked that and when she was like dazed I ran."
	Jason barked a laugh at the end. It was not exactly what Red had been expecting. The jackal asked, "Accidentally, huh? Fuck..." 
	Red felt a little relief to have confessed, but wasn't sure if he had been believed. He asked very quietly, "What are you going to do now?"
	Jason zipped up his backpack. "I dunno. Right now I can't even look at you without thinking about... I'm probably gonna talk to Beth when I get home. I gotta watch out for her, since..." he trailed off, then continued, "Anyway, I'm not gonna beat you up or something stupid like that." He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I hope you were straight with me. I'll take care of Beth," he said without elaboration, then got up and walked away from the bench, joining the growing throng of students entering the building for morning assembly.
	Red felt a sort of half-relief wash over him. He wasn't going to be arrested- today anyway. Jason seemed to have believed him. But why? Jason had every reason to think Red had molested his sister. Red waited another minute to let his heart-rate slow down and then went inside the building as well, still mulling over why he had been spared.

#-.-#
	Red's morning classes were mostly a disaster. He was unfocused, and kept nodding off, to say nothing of his lack of completed homework. Mr. Miller had even embarrassed him in front of the class by dropping a stack of books near Red while he was napping, making him wake with a start and a high-pitched chittering squeak. He muddled through the rest, taking few notes and paying very little attention to the lessons or the people around him. As fifth period inched closer, he began to brighten up, looking forward to lunch (he had located his appetite again) and meeting Harry's sister. 
	The sky had never really shaken that washed-out grey that Red had awakened to, and before his fourth period class ended, he could see that a light rain had begun. He hadn't thought to check the weather, so he had not brought an umbrella, or worn a coat for that matter. After the bell finally rung, he shouldered his backpack and headed out of the building to cross the lower quad. The dining hall was on the far side. 
	Using his tail to protect his backpack and head from the light drizzle, he walked swiftly down the paved path, listening to the muffled sound of the almost-rain. His tail was beginning to collect tiny little droplets of water and he scurried the last dozen yards to the door. Leaving his backpack in one of the many empty cubbies in the foyer, he shook out his tail and headed into the dining room proper. He had beaten the fifth period rush, but there were always upperclassmen who had fourth period free who came down to the dining hall as soon as it opened. Still, he would not have to wait in much of a line.
	He scanned the high-ceilinged room for Harry and Harry's sister (who he assumed would be a black-furred rabbit just like Harry), but didn't see them. He showed his student ID and went through the line, picking up a turkey sandwich and a bowl of vegetable soup. It seemed fitting, for such a chilly grey day. 
	Red claimed an empty round table close to a set of tall windows towards the far side of the room, hopefully remote enough to have a semi-private conversation but still visible enough so that Harry would spot him. Having little else to do until then, Red ate his soup. He watched the line grow longer, and snake out of the kitchen door. When he was halfway through his sandwich, he spotted two pairs of black ears joining the back of the line. Red waved, and the rabbits waved back. Red devoured the rest of his sandwich and waited, fidgeting nervously. He wished he had grabbed a dessert, as now he'd have nothing to nibble on while the rabbits ate.
	When Harry and his sister joined him, Red saw that they both had also gone for the vegetable soup, in addition to two heaping salad bowls. They sat down on either side of Red. Harry was the first to speak.
	"Hey, Red. This is Jen, my litter-sister."
	Red turned to the black doe and said, "Hi... so does that mean you guys are twins?"
	Jen nodded, blowing over a spoonful of hot soup, her long ears swept back a bit. "Basically, yeah. Same birthday, same mom!"
	"How come I've never seen you before today?"
	Jen giggled. "Because I don't hang out in the library with my brother and all his geeky friends?" she replied, then began to eat her soup.
	Harry, on his other side, made a gruff little noise and said, "Jen... don't be rude. I told Red you might be able to help him, not make him feel worse!"
	Jen put down her spoon and suddenly slipped an arm around Red, hugging him to her side. "Aww... I'm sorry, Red. Out of all of Harry's geeky friends, you are totally the cutest. Besides, did I say being geeky was a bad thing?"
	Red wasn't ready for the sudden hug and stiffened, pulling away at first before regaining his composure and relaxing. "N-no..." he replied.
	Jen picked up on the resistance immediately and let the squirrel go. She said, "Whoa... kinda touchy there. Harry, I thought you said he needed advice about a girl he likes. You sure he likes girls?"
	Red folded his arms and tucked himself  into a smaller space between the two rabbits. He said meekly, "Sorry... I kinda had a rough uhh... time yesterday."
	Harry finished munching on his salad and asked, "Megan finally talking to you again?"
	Jen asked over Red's head, "That's the skunk girl, right? And you're afraid if she sees me hugging you she'll be upset?"
	Red said, "No. I mean yes. I mean...  Megan emailed me this morning. But that's not..." Red groaned and covered his face with his paws. "I have another problem. A worse problem."
	The two rabbits resumed eating, waiting on Red to share. He looked around the area, but there were few other students at nearby tables and none were paying Red's little group any attention. So Red began, "You know the jackals I carpool with?"
	Harry said, "Oh, no..."
	Jen asked, "What?"
	Harry explained, "Red carpools with Jason Kazan and his sister."
	"Oh! I know Jason, sure. He plays JV basketball. Totally hot."
	Harry rolled his eyes. "I think, in Red's case, it's Jason's sister that is the issue. Or maybe Jason's mom. I could be wrong. Hold old is she, Red?"
	Red groaned, "Twelve..."
	Jen scoffed, "Pfft, I was younger than that when we..."
	Harry cut her off with a sharp look and a meaningful ear-semaphore message. Jen semaphored back in an exasperated but ultimately acquiescent series of signals. Red missed the entire exchange going on over his lowered head. Harry prompted, "So, what happened?"
	Red related the story, with Jen interrupting him to ask questions every so often. Questions that he had not thought to ask himself, but had obvious implications, once he saw it from a different perspective. When he was finished, Jen said, "Little manipulative bitch," shaking her head. "Still, getting her right on the cooch was a stroke of genius. I bet that wasn't in her little plan."
	Harry laughed suddenly. "Ha! Stroke of genius. Get it?"
	Jen reached behind Red and smacked Harry in the back of the head, making him drop his fork. "Dork," she muttered, but was smiling nonetheless.
	Red seemed oblivious to the joking. "So you think she planned this? I mean, before yesterday, I was sure she hated me. Didn't want to be seen anyplace near me."
	Jen said, "Not planned in the way I think you mean, Red. I think she saw an opportunity and took it. She probably wanted to see how much she could pull off, prancing around in her soccer shorts and whatever, getting you horny. I bet she figured she could make you do anything. You're not exactly a tough guy, Red. Sorry."
	Red moaned, "I know, I know! But it doesn't matter, does it? It's my fault no matter what. I'm sixteen, she's twelve. And I'm a guy, so of course it's my fault..."
	Jen broke in, "No! It's not your fault! She took advantage of you."
	Red shook his head. "I could have left. Could have said, "Fine. Scream!" I could have had a spine. Hell, she left the room at one point. Why did I stay in there, waiting for her? She may have lured me in there but... I went."
	"So it's your word against hers, then," observed Harry, munching thoughtfully on lettuce.
	Red said quietly, "Not exactly. See, this morning, Jason..."
	Harry perked his ears. "Jason what?"
	"He confronted me before assembly this morning. Said he heard from his room."
	Harry said, "Oh, shit..."
	"I thought he was gonna kill me! Or at least punch me or something. But he just made me tell him what happened. I didn't think he'd believe me- she's his sister, right? Why would be believe me? But it seemed like he did. All he said was that he'd take care of Beth. Whatever that means."
	Jen nodded, "It means that he's not surprised. Maybe you're not the first one she's tried to fool around with. Look, Red, I want you to get the idea that 'all girls are sweetness and light' right out of your head. I could tell you stories about some of the girls in your classes that you would not believe."
	"So what do I do?" asked Red in an exasperated tone. "She can ruin my life anytime she likes! I can't do anything about it. I'd like to be able to sleep again without thinking the cops are gonna show up at my house."
	Jen said coldly, "Get some dirt on her. You need something she wants kept secret."
	"How do I do that?"
	Jen shrugged. "I thought you nerds had all the neat spy tools. Hack into her LifeSpace account or something."
	Red blinked and sat up. "Huh... that's an idea..."
	Jen laughed, "What, you really can do that?"
	"Huh? Oh, no, I don't know how to hack LifeSpace, unless I guess her password, but maybe I can like, find a way to listen in on her talking in her room, if I can somehow plant a bug or whatever in there," Red mused.
	Harry piped up, "Did she have a computer in her room?"
	Red replied, "Yeah, she did."
	"There's your bug."
	"What?"
	"The computer. Almost a sure thing it has a microphone. Maybe even a webcam. You know for, talking to grammy and grampy," Harry laughed, looking pointedly at Red.
	Red's face flushed hot. "Oh. Right."
	Harry continued, "Anyway, talk to Andy. He can set you up."
	"But how..."
	"Just talk to Andy. I don't pretend to understand. He's the hacker. C'mon, we gotta go. Period's almost over," said Harry, and he and his sister got up, carrying their trays to the kitchen counter.
	Jen called over her shoulder, "Nice to meet you, Red. Good luck! Let me know how it goes."

#-.-#
	Red had last period free, and luckily so did Andy. As expected, the orange tabby feline was just setting down his heavy backpack in Room 210 when Red came in, a little out of breath from pounding up the stairs.
	Red said, "Andy! I need your help."
	The cat rolled his eyes. "Your computer hose up on you again?"
	Red shook his head. "No. I need..." he looked around. The room had a number of other occupants. He motioned with his head towards the door.
	Andy looked curious, and rubbed his nose with his paw. Red headed back out, and was followed by Andy a few seconds later. "What's up, man?"
	Red said in a hushed voice, "Look... Harry said you might be able to help. Is there a way to like, turn on someone's webcam so you can see or hear what's going on in their room?"
	Andy sniffed and folded his arms. "Depends on a lot of things. Someone at your house?"
	Red shook his head.
	"Someone else's house, eh? Someone female, I bet? You dirty little rodent."
	Red played along. He looked away, and just nodded. It was as good a story as any.
	"Ok, so as long as they don't have their machine locked up tight, and most girls don't, if you can get into the machine you can do it pretty simple. That means you have to get into their house network. Which means either getting into the network from inside, like from another computer in the house, or from outside, through their ISP or with an antenna from the street, if they have wi-fi. The ISP route is hard, though. I don't suppose you can get inside the house, huh?"
	Red shook his head vigorously.
	"She have a laptop or something she brings to school?"
	"No."
	Andy thought for a moment, one finger rubbing his chin. "How about a smart phone?"
	Red thought for a moment. He didn't remember Beth having a phone, but Jason had one. He nodded to Andy. "Yeah, one of those phones with the games."
	Andy grinned. "Yeah, they're basically just little computers. People don't think about it. And the best part is they usually have them set to automatically connect to their home network with the wireless password memorized! I got a little app here that you can send to someone's phone, right, you send it with a picture. When they open the picture the app gets installed behind the scenes. Then whenever the phone logs onto a LAN, it calls out to my server from inside the LAN! Instant back door. I'll give you an account on the server. There's some programs in there that you can use once the back door is open so you can browse around their LAN and see what you can turn on. It's slick stuff. All icons and super easy to use."
	Red was impressed. "That's... that's amazing! Does it really work?"
	"Hells yes. I've got some sweet cam videos of lots of girls with this thing. You'd be amazed how many girls do their homework topless," Andy grinned.
	Red asked, "How do I send the phone app thing?"
	Andy asked, "You want to do it now? I got my laptop in my bag."
	Red said, "Uhh... I need to find out the phone number first."
	Andy nodded. "IM me after school with the number and I'll get you set up."
	"Thanks, Andy."
	"Don't mention it! But if you get some nice crotch shots, send me a couple?"
	"Heh... ok."
	Red headed down the stairs while Andy returned to 210. He needed to look at a student phone directory. He asked at the library circulation desk for one. Flipping through the pages to the K's, he found that only home numbers were listed. He closed the directory and asked the librarian, "Do they keep track of students' cell phone numbers?"
	She nodded. "You have to register your cell phone with the office across the way."
	Red thanked her and dashed out of the library and across the quad. 
	Convincing the administrative clerk to let him have Jason's cell phone number was easy- they carpooled together, after all. Red spirits were finally lifting. Things were going well again! With any luck, he'd be able to listen in on whatever Jason said to Beth this evening. He expected to hear Beth making up some outrageous story for her brother rather than admitting she had done anything wrong. But maybe she'd say something he could use against her. 
	He walked back across the quad and returned to 210, nodding to Andy as he entered. Andy had his laptop open and he gestured towards the screen with a grin. Red nodded and sat down beside the cat. He opened up the scrap of paper he'd written Jason's cell phone number on. Andy nodded and started up a VOIP application on his laptop. 
	"What does she like?"
	Red asked, "Huh?"
	"I need to attach the script to a picture. Something she'll want to open."
	"Oh, uh, she likes basketball?"
	"Good enough, I suppose."
	Red watched Andy search through some pictures, finding an official logo for the professional basketball team from the nearby city. He purred as he worked, Red noticed. He used an application Red did not recognize to load the picture with some 'extra cargo', and then composed a short text message saying that free tickets to an upcoming game were attached. He clicked 'Send' and grinned to Red. "Now she just has to open it. Hope she's not disappointed about the fake tickets," he snickered
	"What about the number it was sent from?"
	"It's meaningless. It'll just say it's from a VOIP number. Here, let me create an account for you on my server. Let's see... username... you can be Green. Heheh. Here, type a password."
	Red leaned over and typed a password quickly. Andy reclaimed control of his laptop. "Ok, just go to this website at home, type in your username and password, and then go to the Agents page. Find the one with that phone number as the name and from there it's totally easy."
	Red nodded. He was quiet for a minute, then asked Andy, "Did you write this thing?"
	"Huh? Oh, no. I found it on a uh... a website."
	"Then are you sure it doesn't like... also send the back door someplace else? Like to the guys who wrote it?"
	Andy shrugged, "Maybe it does? I dunno. I mean, I lock my system down hard, I'm not worried."
	Red nodded. He knew he was treading on some dangerous ground here. But wasn't he already hanging over the edge? 

#-.-#
	While he was stewing over the ethics of what he had set in motion, the period and the school day ended. Most of the other occupants of 210, Andy included, packed up their things and headed out. Red stayed put, watching out the windows that looked over the quad. He watched students and faculty all heading in different directions, some towards the pick-up area, some towards the other end of campus where the gym was, still others to various buildings. The end of classes did not mean an end to activity. 
	In fact, several new people arrived in 210 soon enough. There was a longstanding tradition of playing tabletop games in the room after last period. Red himself joined in often, but today he declined, watching for skunks out the window.
	Megan surprised him by quietly saying his name from the doorway to the room. She must have snuck in a side door to the library, because Red had not seen her approach the front door. He whipped his head around lightning-fast, eyes wide for a moment. Then he grinned and said, "Hey, Megan."
	Megan stayed by the door. She gave Red a brief little smile, and then asked, "Could you come help me with something?"
	Red nodded and got up, skirting the long table and heading in her direction. Megan turned and left the room, with Red close behind. She headed down the walkway to the next door down, which was labeled 208. She opened the door and went inside, holding the door for the squirrel. Red wiggled his whiskers, inhaling the skunk's scent- already associating her distinctive musk with his pleasant memories of her. 
	He closed the door behind himself and looked around Room 208. It was sized the same as 210, of course, and had a similar table. But it was empty, and smelled different. It lacked something else, as well, but Red couldn't put his finger on it. He turned his attention back to Megan quickly. "So... hi! How's it going?"
	Megan fidgeted with her black paws. "Uhm... ok, I guess."
	Red could feel the tension in the room, and that coupled with his other worries was giving him a headache. He desperately wanted to put Megan at ease but didn't have the first clue how. He found himself wishing she had waited a few more days to come out of hiding. Why did everything have to happen at once? He looked at Megan, then looked away. She couldn't meet his eyes. 
	Red said, "It's good to see you again. I was worried you wouldn't come back to 210 because of me."
	Megan shook her head. "No, Red, I..." She took a deep breath, then let it out, but whatever she had been trying to say, she still couldn't seem to manage it. Red pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, rather heavily. He let his tail curl over his head and he rubbed his face with his paws. She asked him to come here to talk about something- she should start talking, damn it! 
	The silence stretched awkwardly out as Megan, still standing, stared out the window and Red stared at the tabletop. Finally Red couldn't take it any longer. He said, "Look, Megan, I'm sorry if I took things too far the other night. I... I know what it's like to get in over your head. We can forget it ever happened, if that's what you want."
	Megan didn't answer. Red started to wonder if she was even listening. He leaned back in his chair. He was tired, he hadn't slept nearly at all recently, and he had no idea what Megan wanted from him. So he admitted, "Actually, I can't do that. I'll never forget it. I thought... I really thought you liked me. That maybe... I don't know. Maybe you wanted me for real." 
	Megan, still looking out the window, said in a shaky voice, "I did. I did want you for real. But..." She was cut off from her next thought by the sound of Red getting up from the table. She looked over at him, and incredibly found him doing some sort of idiotic dance.
	"Wh... what are you doing?"
	"Dancing!" he replied, clasping his paws over his head and gyrating his hips.
	Megan was forced to snortlaugh a tiny bit as a smile crept over her muzzle. "I guess you could call it that. But why?"
	"Because you said you wanted me! And... and I don't know. I'm kind of sleep-deprived. Ok, I'm gonna stop now." He ended with a flourish.
	Megan shook her head, but was at least looking at him now, and still smiling a bit. "We're not doing anything here in the library," she hissed at him.
	"I didn't say anything about that, but now that you mention it..." he grinned right back at her.
	Megan scowled, "This isn't funny. I'm trying to be serious."
	Red shrugged and said, "I couldn't take the serious anymore. You didn't look like you were enjoying it either. Maybe we could just, like... be honest with each other."
	Megan said, "That's crazy talk."
	Red nodded. "I know, right? Here, I'll start. I think you're really pretty and I totally like how you are into the same games I am. Oh and I will get naked for you anytime you want."
	Megan's face grew warm and she looked down at her paws. "Ok. Well, I think you're cute and crazy and silly and I think I like you a lot but I don't know if I can trust you."
	"Why not?"
	"You wouldn't understand."
	"Try me!"
	"You're not the first boy I liked."
	"Yeah? Well, you're not the first girl I liked either. None of the others ever liked me back, though."
	"Well, a couple of the others said they liked me back. But what they really meant was they just wanted to get me naked and when I didn't want to do that they said a girl as fat as me couldn't be picky and... and some other stuff."
	"That actually said that to you? For real?"
	Megan just nodded, still looking at her paws.
	"I can't believe anyone would be that... that... ERGH! Man, that pisses me off. Do these guys go to school here? Who are they?"
	Megan shook her head. "It's not important.."
	Red fumed, but nodded. "Well, I understand, then. How you feel, I mean. I think. I've never been in that situation. But I can see how you couldn't trust me. Do you wanna just... start over?"
	Megan folded her arms and whiffled her tail. "It's a little late for that."
	Red nodded and rested his muzzle on his folded arms on the table. "Well, I'll do whatever you want me to do, Megan. I just know that when you say you want me, I feel awesome."
	Megan walked around to Red's side of the table and knelt down beside his chair. She nosed at his cheek and said softly, "Thanks, Red."
	Red turned his head, nuzzling back, then wrapped his arms around Megan's shoulders and giving her a squeeze. Her warmth and soft fur made him chitter softly. He asked, muzzle against her whiskers, "So, what should I do?"
	Megan whispered back, "Don't dance like that in public."
	Red laughed. "What about in private?"
	Megan gave him a quick nip to his ear. "Maybe." She stood up. "I need to go, Red. I'm sorry about... how I sorta ..."
	"It's ok, Megan. I'm just glad you still want to hang out with me."
	"I'll see you tomorrow, Red."
	Red nodded and lifted his head up as Megan headed for the door. "See you..." he said, before she slipped out. He leaned back in the chair and folded his paws behind his head. What had just happened? Was he 'going out' with Megan? Was he her boyfriend? Or was it something more complicated? Well, at least she was talking to him again. One step at a time. After a little while, he got up and left 208, and returned to 210. 
	He waited around, watching the games going on until the usual time when Mrs. Kazan arrived, then hefted his backpack and headed down to the pickup area. He had timed it just right, as Mrs. Kazan's car pulled into the semi-circle drive just as he got to the curb. He climbed into the back seat.
	"Hi, Red," she said.
	"Hi Mrs. Kazan," Red replied. He bit back the impulse to ask about Beth. After a few more minutes, Jason arrived, his fur still wet from the gym showers. He made a grunting noise in response to his mother's greeting and did not look back at Red at all. The ride home was made in silence except for the music from the car radio.

#-.-#
	Red didn't know if the app on Jason's phone had worked, or been installed, or whatever needed to happen, but he logged in to Andy's website as soon as he got upstairs to his room. He saw a bunch of icons with names (all girls' names) on the Agents page, some of whom he even recognized. It gave him a sort of queasy feeling, knowing that his friend had been spying on all these girls for who knows how long. This had to be illegal. And super creepy besides. Why was he doing this again?
	He headed downstairs to dinner when his mother called for him, and ate in mostly silence, not feeling particularly chatty this evening. His parents seemed oblivious to his withdrawn mood, possibly unable to sense the difference between this and the array of other sullen adolescent moods.
	After dinner, he even managed to do a little of his homework in between refreshing the server webpage to see if anything had changed. He set it aside when Jason's phone number appeared under a generic icon. Not knowing what else to do, Red clicked on it. The screen changed, and several options appeared. Several had to do with doing things to Jason's phone, but the one titled "View LAN" seemed to be the best way to get to Beth's computer. After a minute, a few IP addresses appeared, all of which Red recognized as the sort that a home router would give out. They each had a guess next to them as to what they were- there were two that came back as cell phones, one wireless printer, and three that were probably computers. From the computer names, he could tell which one was Beth's. He clicked on it and a new screen appeared. He chose "Access and install" from the new menu and waited. A progress bar appeared, but it seemed to take a very long time. He went back to his homework.
	A half hour later, he heard a chirping alarm he didn't recognize and looked back to the webpage. It had finished and now, next to the icon with the phone number, was a new icon with Beth's computer name under it. He swallowed, feeling a mix of apprehension and anticipation, and clicked it. Like before, he was presented with a list of choices, but now they were obviously geared towards computer access instead of phone access. He clicked "Cam/Mic" and a window popped up, black at first. Suddenly the picture resolved and he saw the inside of Beth's bedroom. He recognized the posters he could see. The camera was focused on her desk chair, but she was not in view. 
	Red put on his headphones. He could hear a low-level sort of buzz, and was not sure the microphone had worked, but then he heard a rustling noise. Perhaps she was in bed or something. The lights were on in her room, though. Red examined the controls on the viewer. One was clearly a recognizable red circle. He clicked it, and a pop-up asked him where he wanted to save the recording to. He chose a location on his computer and went back to the viewer. 
	Red grew bored after about 15 minutes, and left the viewer recording, but switched windows to find something to distract himself with. He found a block-stacking puzzle game to play and was zoned out playing it when he suddenly heard a pounding on the door. He jumped in his seat and tore off his headphones, but quickly realized that the pounding was not in his room at all, but coming from the headphones. He put them back on in time to hear Beth.
	"Leave me alone!" she called out, loud and clear. Red looked for a volume control and found it, turning the sound down to a bearable level. 
	"You've been in there all day and mom says you haven't eaten. She had to go back to work, but she left dinner," Jason could be heard saying through the closed door.
	"I'm not hungry," Beth said.
	"Yeah, that's bullshit. Open the door," came Jason's muffled reply.
	"No! Go away!"
	"Damn it, Beth."
	It sounded as if Jason had given up but a minute later Red could hear a metallic rattling sound and then a click.
	Beth yelled, "HEY! You can't come in here! This is MY ROOM!"
	Suddenly something moved across the field of the camera, too fast to resolve as more than a dark blur. Red could hear the sounds of a struggle, of Beth whining, and Jason growling. Jason finally said, "Sit down, damn it."
	Beth was defiant. "No! Get out!"
	"Not until we talk about what happened yesterday with Red."
	"Wh-what do you mean?"
	"I'm not deaf, you know. What the hell was going on in here?"
	"What do you care? It's none of your business anyway!"
	"It is my business. Dad's gone and mom is always at the store. I have to watch out for you."
	"You're not daddy! And I don't need you spying on me!"
	Red cringed as he listened. Not only did this seem like an exceedingly private family matter, Beth's words made him doubly aware of the unethical nature of his eavesdropping.
	"So why was he in your room?"
	"He wanted to see Walter."
	"Uh huh. And then what happened?"
	Beth made an exasperated noise. "Nothing, ok?"
	"Don't lie to me, Beth! This is serious. Did he try to touch you? Or make you touch him?"
	"Like that skinny dork could make me do anything! I'd kick him in those huge balls of his if he tried. I can take care of myself, Jason! Now get out and leave me alone!"
	More sounds of struggle could be heard, then Jason, obviously through gritted teeth said, "Sorry, Beth, but we're going to have a talk whether you like it or not."
	Beth yipped and Red suddenly saw her being carried past the camera, struggling against Jason's hold. It was only a fleeting look, and quickly the camera refocused on the empty desk chair. He could hear Beth still fighting and hitting her brother, then the squeak of her bed frame. 
	"Are you done?" Jason asked after a while. Beth didn't answer. He continued, "Ok, I know he was in your room. I heard you talking to him in there. I heard you howling and yipping, then he ran out of the house. And then you took the longest shower of your life and today you refuse to go to school. Sounds like more than "nothing" to me. I need to know if I should call the cops and have him put in jail for what he did."
	Red's mouth went dry and his heartbeat quickened. He felt dizzy. He thought Jason had believed him! His life hung by a thread, held by a twelve-year-old girl who thought he was beneath contempt.
	Beth sighed dramatically and Red could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "No, you don't have to call the cops. God Jason you are such a drama queen." Red exhaled suddenly in relief.
	"I'm just looking out for you, like dad would have done. Ok, no police. Should I teach him a lesson myself? So he doesn't do it ever again?" Jason asked.
	"Jason, no. Just..."
	"I think you should tell me what happened, then I can decide if should kick his ass."
	"Fine! He was being a little perv, looking up my shorts, so I made him show me his weiner. And before I knew it he was shooting his gross stuff at me! It got in my fur and that's why I had to shower forever. It wouldn't wash out!"
	"How did you make him?"
	"I didn't even have to make him! He just pulled his pants down."
	"And then he just splooged it all over you, huh?"
	"Yes," said Beth sullenly.
	Jason sighed, "Look, Beth, I'm a guy and I can tell you that it takes longer than that to jerk off. You're not telling me the whole story. Where did he get you?"
	"Right on my vagina! He was aiming for it, too."
	"Oh yeah? Through your clothes? C'mon, Beth. Now I see why you didn't want me to call the police. You want to explain the howling?"
	There was silence from Beth.
	Jason said, "Fine. I know you're at an age where you want to experiment with boys."
	"Stop trying to be daddy, Jason!"
	Jason ignored her. "And I know this isn't the first time you've tried."
	"What are you talking about?"
	"Tommy told me you were flirting with him pretty hard the last time he came over."
	"He is such a liar."
	"I don't think so. I remember you bouncing around the house in your leotard for some reason. He said every time he left my room, there you were, practicing gymnastics in the hall. He told me I should keep an eye on you. So I guess it's my fault for not having this talk with you sooner.
	"Tommy is such a perv if he thinks I was flirting with him."
	"Cut the crap, Beth. He thinks you are cute, and he's right. Lots of guys are going to want you, and you won't have to show off to get their attention. But you can't use sex like a weapon. Weapons can be turned against you."
	"Did you read that in a book? Or do they make you take sex class in eleventh grade?" Beth sneered.
	"It doesn't matter! I don't want to see you hurt and I don't want you to hurt anyone else. Including Red. The poor rodent was a wreck this morning when I confronted him."
	"What about me? I had to clean up the... the mess he left."
	"He told me you made him clean up a fair amount of it himself. Was that the, uh... howling part?"
	There was no audible answer from Beth.
	"I think you tell better stories when you don't say anything."
	"You are such an asshole, Jason."
	"That's what they tell me. What are you going to say to Red tomorrow morning?"
	"Who says I'm even going to school?"
	"I say. Or else I'll tell mom why you were "sick" today."
	"Fine. What do you want me to say to him?"
	Jason laughed, "Well you could tell him you can't stop thinking about him and that you want more of his amazing tongue!"
	Beth made gagging noises. 
	"Yeah. Or you could tell him the truth. But it's up to you. You want to do adult things, you should act like an adult. I'm going down to eat some of that chicken mom left us. You should too."
	Jason got off the bed and passed the view of the camera and his footsteps could be heard, growing softer as he headed down the hall and then down the stairs.
	Red didn't wait to see if Beth followed him. He stopped the recording and then shut off the webcam. He should feel elated, but somehow he just felt sick to his stomach, even though he had barely eaten dinner that evening. He wondered what Beth would say to him the next day, if anything. He realized he didn't care. The secret would stay a secret (well, except for Harry and Jen, and Jason). But he had been played. Used. He had been at the brink of personal destruction because of one moment of his own weakness. And he would never truly be free of the worry, the threat hanging over him. He would have to come to some understanding with Beth, as remote as that possibility seemed.
	He thought of Pam, and what she might tell him. And he realized suddenly- Pam had used him as well! He had enjoyed it, but she took advantage of him. How could he stop this from happening when his brain took a holiday every time there was a horny female near him? Had Megan taken advantage of him too? No way, he thought. Well, maybe a little. But maybe when people use each other, it balances out. Is that what love is, he wondered? Two people using each other equally? It didn't sound very romantic. 
	Whatever it was, it involved trust. And he currently felt really creepy about spying on Beth and Jason. He found the options for uninstalling the spyware on Beth's desktop, and then Jason's phone, never wanting the temptation to look again. He erased the video he had recorded and closed his browser. He'd have to tell Andy that it didn't work or something. He felt supremely tired, and remembered how little sleep he had managed in the past 36 hours or so. So he pulled off his clothes and curled up in his bed, tail covering his face, and slept.

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